Golden Gate Transit (GGT) is closing a regional transportation gap with the installation of bicycle racks on almost all GGT buses. With 88% of the fleet now equipped with racks, bicyclists on GGT buses foresee an end to the restrictive and often confusing rules they have faced since GGT first began allowing bicycles on some buses.
In 1995, bicycles were first allowed aboard GGT vehicles on just four routes. Three years later, Marin County bicycle groups were pleading for exterior bicycle racks to extend bicycle access. Bicyclists had been allowed only on certain buses, on certain routes, in wheelchair spaces. On three of the four routes, hours were also restricted to non-commute periods, and bicycles could be "bumped" by wheelchair users, or sometimes by other passengers if the bus became too full. On newer buses without a designated wheelchair space, bicyclists were not allowed at all.
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District Transportation Committee had begun consideration of exterior bicycle racks for GGT buses in January 1998. The committee found that under state law for vehicles traveling on freeways, GGT drivers would bear the liability for any damage which occurred if a bicycle fell from a bus. As an intercity transit service, many GGT routes use freeways for extended distances. State legislation to release bus drivers from this liability was sought by their union; meanwhile, a grant from the Transportation Fund for Clean Air enabled GGT to obtain bicycle racks for fourteen buses and the district installed and began testing them.
The new state law releasing bus drivers from liability went into effect in January 1999, and the fourteen bicycle racks were placed in service. With federal funding assistance, the district has now purchased and installed bicycle racks for all 238 of the 40-foot buses in the fleet. On these buses, bicycles are no longer allowed aboard. On certain older vehicles, those with rear doors and a wheelchair area operating on Route 40 from central Marin across the Richmond-San Rafael bridge, bicyclists can still use the inside wheelchair area if the rack is full, subject to bumping by wheelchair users.
GGT also owns 32 buses which are 5 feet too long to carry exterior bicycle racks under the California Vehicle Code. Bicyclists cannot use these buses, and must wait for a vehicle with a rack. The wait should be short, since these buses are used primarily during the weekday commute period on routes from Sonoma and Marin into San Francisco. An updated brochure for bicyclists has just been released by the district, and is available at www.goldengate.org or by calling 415/455-2000.
Golden Gate Transit joins many other transit districts around the region which are expanding services for growing numbers of bicyclists. AC Transit sponsored legislation in the mid-1980s allowing racks on standard size buses, and legislation allowing 60-foot articulated buses to carry racks became law January 1, 1999. By Fall 1999, most AC Transit bus lines will have racks available, with full fleet coverage by Fall 2000. Bicycle racks are also available on most Contra Costa County Connection buses and all Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, Tri-Delta Transit, SamTrans, Napa Valley Transit and intercity Sonoma County Transit buses. Many other transit districts allow bicycles on board buses.
Golden Gate ferries and Alameda/Oakland ferries also allow a limited number of bicycles on board. BART, which has allowed bicycles on a restricted basis since 1972, has increased hours when bicycles are allowed, and removed or relaxed many other restrictions for bicyclists in April 1999. The primary restrictions now apply to times when trains are most crowded; special shading on printed BART schedules indicates when trains are off-limits for bicycles. Capitol Corridor trains and connector buses and Caltrain and ACE trains also allow a certain number of bicycles on board each run.
Bicycles on buses and other transit modes can remove cars from the road and add to transit fareboxes, improving the transportation picture for all of us. Golden Gate Transit buses, and others around the region, wear their bicycle racks to show that they are doing their part to make this possible.
Leslie Stewart
Although bicycles are becoming more welcome on transit around the area, rules and restrictions vary district by district, and service by service. Bicyclists need to remain flexible and check ahead for information when traveling an unfamiliar route or system. A good source for information online is www.transitinfo.org, which includes a system-by-system guide to bicycles on transit with links to the individual districts for detailed information. It also contains a listing of bicycle advocacy groups around the region whose members can offer information on transit services and road conditions.